Fifty delegates from a wide range of businesses and public bodies joined us this morning to talk jurisdiction and the future of the Cloud at the 2nd Cloud Circle Executive Breakfast Club in London.

With the early morning sunshine out in full glorious force, the stunning panoramic view of the capital on offer at the Thames-side Altitude 360 venue on the 29th floor of Millbank Tower, Westminster, provided a serene backdrop for our voyage into the Cloud.

After a full English breakfast to kick off proceedings, Aoun Shamsi of commercial loan servicing company Hatfield Philips gave the congregation an insight into the company’s entry into Microsoft Dynamics Cloud services, including the cultural issues they came up against, the way they went about assigning project roles and how they organised data flows.

The group then split into four round tables hosted by Google, IMGROUP, EMC and Maxima in partnership with IBM on different jurisdictional issues, including service license agreements; mobile Cloud; data protection; and the balance between supplier offerings and end user needs. One person from each group then presented back to the rest of the group at the end of the session.

After a networking coffee break, the group delegates returned to the round tables for a second session, this time on future innovations in the Cloud. Specifically, they discussed the importance of the rise in mobile device apps; gaps in innovation and end user wish lists; foreseeable developments in public cloud offerings; and the Cloud in five years’ time.

The half day event was wrapped up with quick panel debate with our sponsors and a sandwich.
Emma Taylor, founder and managing director of The Cloud Circle, said: “When we did our first Executive Breakfast Club here back in March it was really overcast. Mother Nature probably thought she was doing us a favour with the scenery but they were the wrong type of clouds. Though the event went extremely well, it felt like we were holding it in a ski resort.

“Today, it was perfect – blue skies laced with rays of sunshine. A few fluffy white clouds were the only things blocking the view of about twelve square miles of London’s amazing skyline. And the event followed suit.

“I thought Aoun Shamsi’s keynote case study this morning was very well delivered. He described the journey in a way in which the delegates could put it in the context of their own businesses and he offered some very sound tips for those who aren’t as far into their initiatives. The round tables which followed always go down well as they offer a chance for a highly focused and interactive debate in which everybody gets a chance to contribute and learn close up from their peers.”

Taylor expressed her thanks to all who attended, the sponsors of the event and the venue staff.

She added: “Today reaffirmed my belief that not only does this venue offer one of the most motivating views to hold a thought leadership event alongside, it also serves up the best sausage and bacon in London!”

The next Executive Breakfast Club takes place in November. Keep an eye on www.thecloudcircle.com for further details. The next Cloud Circle event is our 6th Forum on July 7 in Victoria, London. If you’d like to attend, please email benita.sabharwal@thecloudcircle.com.

Check back for videos and a full write up of today's event soon.